In recent years, higher output densities and improved energy densities have been required of electrochemical devices including cells and capacitors. Organic electrolytic solutions have found wider use than aqueous electrolytic solutions from the viewpoint of voltage resistance. Examples of organic electrolytic solutions are those prepared by dissolving alkali metal salts or solid ammonium salts in an organic solvent such as propylene carbonate. Electrolytic solutions of the former type are used for lithium ion cells, while those of the latter type are used for electric double-layer capacitors. Organic electrolytic solutions are inferior to aqueous solutions in electrical conductivity, and numerous studies have been made on organic solvents or electrolytes to obtain improved electrical conductivity.
The electrical conductivity of nonaqueous electrolytic solutions comprising such a solid electrolyte dissolved in a solvent varies with the concentration of the electrolyte. With a rise in the concentration, the ion concentration of the solution increases to increase the electrical conductivity, which will reach a maximum in due course. The electrical conductivity reaching the maximum starts to decrease presumably because the electrolyte becomes difficult to dissociate and increases in viscosity at the same time owing to increased interaction between the solvent and ions and between the ions as the number of ions increases in the electrolytic solution. When further increasing in concentration, the electrolyte becomes no longer dissociable, and the concentration of the electrolyte levels off. Thus, an attempt to increase the concentration of the electrolyte encounters the problem that the electrolyte becomes less soluble. Another problem is also experienced in that when electrolytic solutions having an electrolyte dissolved therein at a high concentration is used in an environment of low temperature, a salt will separate out to impair the electrical conductivity of the solution. Solvents of high dielectric constant are usually preferred for dissociating electrolytes to a higher degree, and propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, gamma-butyrolactone, etc. are in use. Suitable to use as electrolytes are tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate, triethylmethylammonium tetrafluoroborate and the like which are relatively soluble in solvents of high dielectric constant, whereas these electrolytes are limited in solubility to a concentration of about 2 M at room temperature and have the disadvantage of permitting separation of crystals when to be dissolved to higher concentrations or at lower temperatures. These electrolytes are almost insoluble in solvents of low dielectric constant, failing to form electrolytic solutions which are useful as such.
When propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, gamma-butyrolactone or the like is used as the solvent for applications necessitating a high voltage, the electrolyte is governed by the solvent decomposition voltage even if the electrolyte has high voltage resistance, with the result that the conventional capacitors are limited to about 2.5 V in operating voltage if highest. If the capacitor is operated at voltage exceeding 2.5 V, the electrolytic solution (mainly the solvent) undergoes electrochemical decomposition, becomes seriously impaired in performance and produces undesirable phenomena such as evolution of gas. In the application of capacitors as energy storage devices to mobile bodies such as hybrid cars and electric motor vehicles, improved energy capacities are demanded, and a higher operating voltage is effective means for giving an improved energy density, whereas it has been impossible to improve the voltage resistance with use of conventional electrolytic solutions, hence a need for electrolytes and solvents of higher voltage resistance. Since the electrostatic energy of capacitor is in proportion to square of voltage resistance, even a small improvement in voltage resistance is earnestly desired. Although chain carbonate solvents such as ethylmethyl carbonate, etc. are solvents of higher voltage resistance, conventional electrolytes such as tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate and triethylmethylammonium tetrafluoroborate are low in solubility in these solvents which are low in dielectric constant, and are not usable as electrolytic solutions.
Found in recent years are salts having a melting point around room temperature or salts having a melting point not higher than room temperature (salts melting at room temperature). It is known that even if solid at room temperature, such salts dissolve in organic solvents at a higher concentration than usual electrolytes. Furthermore, the salts melting at room temperature are miscible with a specific organic solvent in a desired ratio. Accordingly, these salts afford electrolytic solutions having a high concentration not available by dissolving conventional solid electrolytes in organic solvents, while although having a high concentration, the solution is less likely to encounter the problem that the salt will separate out in a low-temperature environment. The salt melting at room temperature is itself liquid and is therefore usable singly as an electrolyte.
It is disclosed that aliphatic ammonium salts having an alkoxyalkyl group introduced thereinto are highly soluble in a nonaqueous organic solvent and are less likely to separate out at low temperatures (patent literature 1).
However, in this literature, the salt melting at room temperature is evaluated as dissolved in propylene carbonate which is poor in voltage resistance.
As stated above, it is important to use a solvent having high voltage resistance in order to enhance energy density of capacitor. On the other hand, it is also effective to enhance electrical conductivity of electrolyte. Although capacitors can be, as one of their great characteristics, charged and discharged with a big electrical current compared with a secondary battery, energy loss due to resistance increases when the capacitor discharges with a big electrical current. To say extremely, even the energy is saved in the capacitor, most of the energy will be lost by resistance heat. Therefore, when the resistance is decreased in the capacitor, it is possible to enhance the energy which is substantially usable in the capacitor, and thus it is important to enhance electrical conductivity of electrolyte.
[patent literature 1] WO 02/076924
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyte which is not only highly electrically conductive but highly soluble in chain carbonic acid esters which is high in voltage resistance, highly reliable at low temperatures and high in voltage resistance, the invention further providing electrochemical device having such advantages.